title: Return to work after rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury.
abstract: The relationship of medical variables and discharge functional status to vocational and educational outcomes was examined in 79 closed head-injured patients who were consecutively admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital during a two-year period. A follow-up study, conducted after hospital discharge (median, 16.5 months), found that 66% (n = 52) of the patients had returned to work or school, while 34% (n = 27) did not. Patients were divided into return and non-return to work groups. Traditional variables included age, severity of brain-damage as characterized by CT head scan, duration of post-traumatic amnesia, duration of coma, length of stay and acute inpatient rehabilitation program. Discharge functional scores were analysed by t-tests and chi-square analysis. Results suggest that traditional factors of younger age, shorter length of coma, minimal CT head scan findings and shorter length of stay were significant contributors to educational/vocational outcome. Their significance was enhanced by discharge functional profile measurement of medical, physical and psychological/neuropsychological integrity. Those functional measures not significant were in social, vocational, recreational and communication areas. These factors may continue to improve over a longer period of time and should be tracked in the post-acute rehabilitation phase for their significance in return to work/school.
authors.affiliation: Marianjoy Rehabilitation Center, Wheaton, Illinois 60189.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cronin-Stubbs
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Swanson
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D014829:Vocational Education